All the News That’s Fit: Brain stages, lung inflammation and skin-sealing glue

3 weeks ago 1

For The Union-Tribune

The five stages of brain development

Researchers now suggest that the human brain goes through five distinct phases of development over the course of a lifetime.

1. Childhood, from birth to age 9, during which time the brain is continually pruning away haphazardly created synaptic connections forged as early learning, unlearning and relearning chaotically occurs. As a result, while it is a time of rapid growth, it is not a time of great efficiency.

2. Adolescence, from age 9 until about age 32 is the most efficient phase. It’s a time when new synaptic connections are most easily formed. Mental disorders are also most likely to begin during the adolescence epoch.

3. Adulthood, from age 32 to age 66, is the longest of the epochs. In adulthood, brain efficiency slows way down. At the same time, this is typically a period of maximum stability.

4. Early aging, from 66 to 83 years of age, during which time brain patterns begin to shift, with some regions interoperating more tightly together while others begin to operate less cohesively. It’s when dementia and systemic issues like cardiovascular problems are more likely to begin appearing.

5. Late aging, from 83 and beyond. This period is similar to early aging, but changes are likely to occur at an accelerated pace.